We have covered the first two stages of the Spirit’s work in the believers for the divine dispensing. The first stage has twelve aspects, from enlightening, sanctification, and regeneration through sanctification. The second stage, which we have called the inner-life-working stage, has twenty-five aspects, from transformation through not insulting the Spirit. We come now to the third stage of the Spirit’s work in us-the stage of the Spirit’s fellowship.
The Spirit is the fellowship between the Triune God and His chosen people. For this reason, 2 Corinthians 13:14 speaks of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the fellowship among the believers. Therefore, the Spirit is the fellowship between the Triune God and the believers and also the fellowship the believers have with one another. The element of each of the twenty-five aspects of the third stage of the Spirit’s work in us is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Jude 20 speaks of “praying in the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is the means for us to pray, and to pray is to have fellowship with the Triune God. By prayer we are preserved in our fellowship with the Triune God. Praying in the Holy Spirit is thus the means for us to maintain a continual fellowship with the Lord. The Holy Spirit is also the sphere and element of our prayer. We pray in this sphere and by this element to keep ourselves in fellowship with the Triune God.
According to Jude 20, if we would build up ourselves in our most holy faith, we need to pray in the Holy Spirit. Faith is related to the Word, and in the Holy Spirit we have life. In this verse the Holy Spirit refers mainly to life, not to power. However, some Christians today understand the Holy Spirit mainly in terms of power. In Romans 8:2 Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of life. From experience we know that praying in the Holy Spirit is much more a matter of life than of power. When we pray we may not sense power; however, we often have the sense of life. Life is more precious than power.
Verses 20 and 21 of Jude instruct us to pray in the Holy Spirit so that we may be preserved in the Triune God. We should keep ourselves in the love of God by building up ourselves in our holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. In this way we await the mercy of our Lord that we may not only enjoy eternal life in this age but inherit it for eternity. The entire divine Trinity is employed and enjoyed by the believers in their praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping themselves in the love of God, and awaiting the mercy of the Lord unto eternal life. The enjoyment and inheritance of eternal life, the life of God, is the goal of our spiritual seeking. Because we aim at this goal, we want to be kept in the love of God, pray in the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord.
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